Fremont County Sheriff's Office seeks citizens' help

Ballot issue would add estimated $2.8 million annually to department

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series on the Fremont County Sheriff's Office Tax Ballot Question 1A.

The office is understaffed, under-equipped, underpaid and overworked. According to Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker, it is in a "critical situation."

The Fremont County Sheriff's Office is asking voters to support Ballot Question 1A this election.

The proposed ballot issue would raise the sales/use tax by 1 percent, increasing the sheriff's office's yearly budget by an estimated $2.8 million. The tax would have a 10-year sunset.

"That $2.8 million is largely going to restore cuts that I've had to make as sheriff over the years," Beicker said.

There are fewer deputies on patrol than 16 years ago, and there are no patrol deputies stationed in the west end of Fremont County. The FCSO has a high turnover rate of employees, Beicker said, because people seek jobs with law enforcement agencies that are able to pay them more, and/or people turn down jobs with the FCSO because they cannot afford to live on the wages the sheriff's office is able to pay them.

Almost every law enforcement agency provides cell phones, Beicker said, but the FCSO does not. Nor do FCSO deputies have any sort of allowance or stipend to help with the cost of their uniforms.

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Most of the FCSO's patrol vehicles have 170,000 to 190,000 miles, the lowest is at 90,000. Seventeen of the 33 vehicles were purchased used from departments that were retiring them. Pueblo County Sheriff won't permit Fremont County's jail transport van in their sally-port because it smokes so badly.

Beicker said the cuts have been "so deep," and they are not asking for anything "above and beyond."

"We're doing the best we can," he said. "We cannot maintain the current level of service much longer."

If approved, the money generated from 1A would help the sheriff's office in three main areas: personnel/staff, operational and capital.

Restored or additional positions for the sheriff's office would include an animal control officer, detention and patrol deputies, school resource officers, investigators, a drug, DUI and mental health detention lieutenant and front office assistants.

Operational needs include wildfire control, search and rescue, training, investigations, evidence and the restoration of an annual uniform stipend/allowance.

The office needs to replace vehicles, make upgrades to electronic equipment and repair the jail's kitchen, as the capital expenditures.

The No. 1 responsibility of the sheriff's office is to operate and maintain the jail, Beicker said.

"Jails are expensive," he said.

Beicker said he and undersheriff Ty Martin have "been responsible in spending your dollars" and managing the office's budget.

But the $3.9 million budget "barely covers the staff," Beicker said, leaving only about $40,000 to run the sheriff's office.

Along with the responsibility concerning the jail, other state mandated duties of the sheriff's office include fighting wildland fires not within a fire protection district, transporting prisoners to and from other counties and/or states, serving civil processes and executing writs, providing courthouse security, preserving the peace, managing search and rescue operations and issuing concealed weapons permits.

"We're asking the citizens of Fremont County to help us. We serve you all, and we need your help," Beicker said. "I want the folks of the county to know we want to serve you well."